The King's Corner
by King Aria
Summary: After the abandonment of their parents and Itachi falling ill, Sasuke has worked hard to earn money to support them. How has he done it? Street fighting of course. Though when he earns enough money to pay for Itachi's treatment, a certain someone interferes and Sasuke's heart never filled with so much determination. AU SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Yo! I know I have some stuff I should be finishing, but I felt the need to give SasuSaku another shot! I didn't like my last story tbh XD_**

 ** _X_**

Sasuke's chest tightened when familiar racks of blood-curdling coughs filled the long and echoey hallway. They bounced off the walls and slipped underneath Sasuke's bedroom door, some even pounding right through the wood. Hearing these coughs reminded him daily of how sick his elder brother was, along with how there wasn't much Sasuke could do about it. It then reminded him of his parents' doings, and how his father was to blame for everything. They didn't deserve it, nor did they see it coming. No child should have to see the day their parents descend and drop them off at some apartment. When they asked their father why he did it, he never gave a direct answer. Or at least an answer that made some damn sense. Sasuke knew his mother just followed along, being the faithful wife she was raised to become, and he remembered the look on her face when he cried at her feet, clutching the edge of her skirt. The feeling of her arms wrapped tightly around him as he lay his head on her chest, her heartbeat lulling him to sleep, was something that crushed the young Uchiha. Mainly because he woke up to never feel it again.

The coughs started up again and Sasuke rushed to his nightstand. Rummaging through the drawer, he fingered a bottle at the very back before snatching it. It's contents were running out, Sasuke noted, but he shrugged it off as the coughing became more erratic. "Itachi!" He swung the door open and ran full speed to the small living room. He heard a splat! noise and grunted when he saw Itachi coughing in a once white rag that was now painted with red. Some spots were darker than others, signifying blood clots. The liquid overflowed the rag and spilled onto Itachi's thinning, pale hand.

"Brother.." Sasuke's stomach did a flip when he heard the struggle in his elder's voice, the cracking. The last fruitful beats of life barely lingering around. He was quick to take Itachi's bloodied rag from him, throwing it into the fresh pile of blood seeping into the floor's wood. Almost hysterically, Sasuke popped the cap open of the bottle and shook two pills into the palm of his hand, thrusting it to Itachi, who slowly grabbed them and tossed them into his mouth. The younger beat him to the cup of water on the coffee table, helping Itachi drink the pills down before he could try and refuse.

He gulped excessively and desperately and realization hit Sasuke. _"Shit! He was thirsty. Probably too weak to get the cup himself.."_ he told himself, grunting again out loud as he moved the empty glass from Itachi's moistened lips. "Please, Aniki. You shouldn't even be out here. You should be in bed." Sasuke said, bending down to clean up the blood with the overly bloodied rag. Itachi silently stood as Sasuke did so, a smile on his lips. "I-I wish to be with you, Otouto, for my time is almost up."

In that second the mess on the floor was discarded and Sasuke had stood to shove Itachi back down onto the sofa. "Don't you dare say that!" he growled, his voice raising towards the end of the command. Itachi's drained eyes widened a bit before closing as he blinked furiously. "I'm going to get the money to pay for your treatment. I promise. We're almost there, anyway. _I'm_ almost there.." Sasuke muttered the last piece to himself, frowning down at his feet. He curled his toes unconsciously, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides with pure determination. He couldn't let his last connection be cut. "You will get better." The determination spilled into his words and persuaded Itachi to stand again before slowly walking to his room down the hall.

"Alright."

Sasuke only swallowed thickly as he returned to cleaning up the spilt blood, listening to the door to Itachi's room click closed softly. He heard and took careful note of how Itachi didn't believe he was going to heal. His mindset was fixed on how he was soon to die, and it was having an impact on his body. If Sasuke had never woken late at night that day about a half a year ago, he would've never seen Itachi throwing up blood in the toilet before having a small muscle spasm. He never would've known that Itachi was ill, and that he was planning on silently dying. Said weasel got an earful when Sasuke was no longer ignorant to that little plan.

While on his way back to his own room, Sasuke's phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, reading his message from a faithful friend:

Suigetsu:

"New location's Allston's corner in 30 mins. See you there!"

The raven then made a bee-line for the bathroom, stripping and hopping into the shower. If he wanted to be the first person to place bets, he'd have to be the first person there. Number one priority was making money. Nothing would stop him, considering he was probably the best Taekwondo fighter in all of Konoha. He'd remained unbeaten considering he chose his fights wisely and cautiously. Everyday he thanked his mother, wherever she was, for taking him to Taekwondo as a child. Although he expected to never master it, he got better through training with Suigetsu. Suigetsu was another person he thanked, and since he got better than his master, he promised Suigetsu that he'd repay him by letting him live with him once Itachi got better and took over Uchiha Corps. Despite the insecurities and doubts of the promise, Suigetsu nodded and smiled.

Sasuke's shower was quick; he wasted no time in dressing into his traditional white vest that was cut at the shoulders, using his purple belt to keep it closed. He slipped into his snuggly white training pants that made it easy to use his legs, and lastly heavy black boots. After tucking his boot cuts in, he slid on his black fingerless gloves and walked softly to Itachi's bedroom door. A heavy sigh escaped him; he knew how much his elder brother despised his street fighting. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't have to, but making burgers and stacking cans of beans on their rightful shelves for about eleven hours a day didn't offer enough for Sasuke's liking. These street fighters were getting a lump sum of money, and if Sasuke picked the right person, he was whistling his way home with bulging pockets.

He knocked softly, the buttons from the gloves adding to the noise. A reply wasn't given, as expected. "Itachi?" he whispered into the dark dome after opening the door. Itachi's room was pitch black, the only light being from the moon shining on to his bed from the window. He could see the weasel's body, stiff as wood. "Itachi, I'm going now. I'll be back.."

Sasuke looked down forlornly when Itachi grunted in response, then closed the door. After hearing the click, he dashed out of their small apartment.

X

"Welcome, to the king's corner! Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets wisely!"

Sasuke counted all of the money he had snatched on his way out. Four hundred was good enough, and he planned to leave with more. Suigetsu walked at his side, counting the money he took as well. Suigetsu only had about a few twenties, but he knew of Sasuke's cause for street fighting.

A redhead ran up to them, fidgeting with her glasses. "Sasuke, Allston wants to fight you." Suigetsu smirked, scratching the back of his head. "Karin, you and I and HE ALL know that Sasuke could totally kick his ass!" he bragged. Karin scoffed. "You're always so damn reckless! This is why you lose your battles, because you don't know how to pick them, moron!"

Sasuke nodded. "She's right, Suigetsu. I don't want to fight him. I don't know for sure if I'll win, and since it's pretty risky, I'm going to have to back down." Karin smiled smugly while Suigetsu sighed heavily. Allston was known to be undefeated, and he'd always had his eye on Sasuke. Ever since he was thirteen and they went to school together, Allston had practically begged for a duel.

But being the person he was, Sasuke always declined and dismissed him. This never stopped Allston, however.

Karin wrapped her hair up into a high ponytail before removing her glasses. She folded them, thrusting them out to Sasuke. "I'll keep him settled for tonight." she said. Karin had learned traditional karate from her father, and her skills were indeed impressive. She'd handled guys before. Sasuke bowed his head gratefully then took her glasses. He placed him in his pocket and watched her run off.

"That girl is so damn stupid. C'mon, let's go earn some money." Suigetsu mumbled, him and Sasuke doing exactly so.

They had gone through an hour of the night, sometimes tag-teaming. Sasuke earned himself double his initial amount. He had picked the rich kids that believed they'd win with only two or three paid classes. He pretended to be weak and sloppy with his moves, giving them a few hits before knocking them senseless with a swift kick of the head.

He was already getting closer to his goal. Stretching his muscles after his tenth battle, counting up eight-hundred and twenty dollars, he called for Suigetsu. "I'm going home now. Would you like to stay the night?" Suigetsu rubbed his chin in thought before smiling. "I'll pay for Chinese take-out. It's been awhile since I've seen Itachi, anyway."

They had begun walking off when they heard a familiar yelp of pain. The boys noticed a swarm of fighters crowded into a corner. They heard the yelp again before a thud of a body hitting the ground. Sasuke dashed over and pushed his way through the crowd.

As he thought, Karin was lying on the ground.

One side of her face was bruised a dark purple, the bruise creeping down her neck. Her open sides were also bruised, and her exposed calves were bloodied with scrapes. Sasuke watched as she shook violently in an attempt to pick herself up. The crowd then went wild when her body gave up and she fell back down.

Sasuke kneeled down and slid one hand under her neck and another on the small of her back. He hoisted her up into his hold. He noticed the blood dripping out of her nose. "Are you alright?" he asked. Karin had gotten beaten before, but never to a point like this.

She was always able to get back up. Sasuke glared darkly when she nodded so slowly. Only he was able to catch it. Suigetsu kneeled by his side, "Dammit, Karin!" He took her into his arms when Sasuke passed her over, watching as he stood.

Sasuke looked around, his glare still in place. Everyone grew silent and turned to the source, and Sasuke didn't expect to see who was there.

A girl with bubblegum pink hair tied into a small bouncy ponytail. Her eyes were large and innocent, a seafoam emerald green. Her cheeks were rosy and sweet, and she wore a dark sports bra and red joggers. She too had a few dark bruises admiring her body. He'd never noticed her around before. She looked downright puny and out of place.

But Sasuke didn't underestimate her one bit. Karin was never one to fall in the hands of defeat that way. "I challenge you." he said darkly. The girl looked at him, and he noticed her eyes scan his body as if analyzing his skill that way. She then smiled. "What for? I've got plenty tonight. I don't need any more money." Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"I have eight-hundred and twenty. I'll bet it all."

The crowd of people witnessing murmured before cheering it on. Suigetsu's ears perked. "Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?!" he yelled. He was ignored, and the girl closed her eyes in thought before smiling wider. "I've got four-hundred and sixty. It's a battle you've got." Sasuke cracked his knuckles.

A woman came from within the crowd, holding a tray. Sasuke placed all of his money on the tray, and the girl did too. Sasuke smirked. "Tell me your name so I can remember that I've kicked your ass." The girl laughed. "Call me Sakura. And you?"

"Sasuke."

"Alright, you guys know the rules! I want a clean fight!" the woman said, standing between Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke got into his fighting stance, standing sideways with a small bounce of his feet to get energized. He watched her, noticing her place one foot in front of her and one behind her.

He quickly recognized her fighting style. Capoeira. Once the bell sounded Sasuke ran forward, ignoring Suigetsu's cries behind him. Sakura ran forward too, and they clashed. He spared her no mercy, punching her square in the nose.

To his surprise, she was unphased, for she moved her body upside down into a handstand. Sasuke felt himself watching her move gracefully, taking in her marvelous body movements. He then snapped out of it when he felt hard sneakers collide with his face a couple of times. He backed up and held his nose, feeling the warm liquid in his palm.

Sasuke smirked at her, seeing her holding her own dripping nose. They both removed their hands and ran for the kill again, Sasuke allowing her to throw a few kicks. He blocked, skidding backwards from the force of every kick. He prepared for a kick in the head, lifting his leg, but as soon as he extended his leg he was knocked in the face by a heavy fist.

She was much stronger than he'd liked. He attempted to quickly recover from the punch, but as soon as he did he was sent to the ground on his back when she slid her legs under him. He rolled away and onto his feet.

Sasuke released a cry of pain when Sakura sent him flying again, having kicked him deep in the gut after he gave her a good kick in the face. His head collided with the cement ground, and then the countdown began.

"Sasuke, you have nine,"

People screamed and cheered for him to get back up, worsening the pain of his headache. His limbs felt like jello.

"Eight,"

His body shook as he searched for some type of energy. He gripped his head, feeling warm blood emitting from somewhere on his scalp.

"Seven,"

Suigetsu cried for him to get back up, and he thought about Karin. Then Itachi. His head pounded when he got to his knees, and it felt as if his brain was melting.

"Six,"

Sasuke whimpered as his head throbbed, and his chest bounced as his breathing picked up.

"Five,"

The kick he got in his stomach began to throb as well, and his muscles grew weak. He was still shaking like a leaf in the wind when he got to his feet, and people cheered loudly. The countdown finished, and he staggered forward.

Sakura was giggling at him. He snapped into focus, and in a second her giggling image was replaced with her spitting blood on her knees. Sasuke then grabbed her by her neck, dragging her back up to her feet.

She gasped and clawed at his wrist. Sasuke let go to try and kick, but he angered her. She was indeed very angry, for she began swinging kicks at him mercilessly. He had gotten a kick in his chest, leg. He blocked, then another kick in the face.

He soon found himself back on the ground, imagining how Karin must've felt. The girl was quick, and strong. His countdown began where it left off.

"Four,"

His throbbing headache returned stronger than ever, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Sasuke gripped his head, curling up into a ball to try and rid himself of the pain.

Sakura was still angry, for she grabbed the collar of his vest and hoisted him up, punching him in the face. Sasuke punched her back, and the two began staggering around like useless rag dolls as they punched and punched. Face, chest, stomach. Sasuke was satisfied with her bruised and bleeding face, but he was sure he looked no different.

Soon enough he had knocked enough pain into a punch, and Sakura was on her back on the ground. The woman holding the tray of money began counting. Sasuke crossed his arms as he watched her struggle. He was certain he'd be walking home with one thousand two hundred and eighty bucks.

Closing his eyes to try and relax his muscles, he was ignorant to the pair of legs literally sweeping him from his feet. He fell forward, and everything happened too fast. In an attempt to stop himself, all of his weight fell on his right arm. He screamed when it crunched underneath him, and he banged his forehead on the floor again.

He couldn't process that Sakura had gotten back to her feet and was now being announced as winner. The woman held her arm high in the air by her wrist, and in Sakura's other hand the cash. "No.." he mumbled.

He'd lost all of his money. The money for Itachi's treatment was all gone. He was so close to saving his brother. Once his brother healed, he would've been able to take over Uchiha Corps. and they'd find their parents. Things would've gotten better.

Sasuke felt his eyes sting, and his vision was blurry from the building tears. He'd worked so hard. "No.." he repeated, a sneaky tear dripping out of his eye and down his cheek. Now their future was going to fall. Crumble. Drown in the deepest pits of hell.

The new throbbing in his head caused his eyes to roll to the back of his head before his vision went black.

 _"Sasuke? Sasuke!"_

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: Lolzzzz next chapter will be out soon. I hope you guys liked it! *^*_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Yo! I just wanna thank all of you who reviewed! It means a lot to me, you're all amazing!_**

X

His body tingled and shook; he tossed and turned, trying to find a proper position that would bring him comfort. He fought with his body for a while, eventually accepting defeat and allowing himself to regain complete consciousness. A warmth hit him, along with noises that resembled that of a game show going on on television.

Sasuke grappled to get his eyelids up, resembling a newborn baby from anyone else's perspective. His head pounded mildly, and his right arm was throbbing. Subconsciously he moved his good arm to grab it, but he didn't feel injured his arm. A rough material was what he felt. He even rubbed it, just to try and feel his skin. But he didn't. Just the rough material of..

"Does it itch?"

The raven moved his head softly but with enough strength to see Itachi sitting up, his arms crossed and his eyes glued on the screen of the small television set in his bedroom. Sasuke noticed that the look in Itachi's eye wasn't of focus; he wasn't really watching the game show. His eyes looked anything but focused. Anything but alive.

"No.." Sasuke finally replied after looking away, his voice croaky and dry from going hours without use. He picked at the cast devouring his entire right arm, the material tickling the skin of his shoulder. Sasuke noticed from the breeze of the air that his upper body was naked, and he wasted no time in covering it more with Itachi's blankets. They smelled like the inside of antibiotic pill bottles, and Sasuke reminded himself to get some laundry done.

He then reminded himself that he didn't have any money to go to the laundromat.

A familiar feeling bubbled up in the young Uchiha's chest, and he felt his eyes begin to sting. The face of that girl spurred up into his mind. Beautiful but mocking was she. "S-She took our money, brother.." he whispered, feeling the warm liquid from his eyes descend down his cheeks. From the corner of his eye he could see Itachi leaning over him, but he couldn't bring himself to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've failed you.." he whispered again. His body shook as he kept his sobs in. A hand ruffled his hair affectionately, massaging his scalp a bit, but it did nothing to brighten the mood that both brothers fell into. The hand didn't stop as Sasuke released his anger and shame. "Who did this?"

The question was sudden. Itachi didn't even notice when his younger brother stopped crying. "Who did what?" Sasuke sent Itachi a fierce glare, feeling as if the other was trying to mock or insult his intelligence. "Who put this cast on my arm?" he snapped. Itachi's face twisted into his own fierce glare.

"That's how Suigetsu brought you here."

"I think you're lying."

"I believe you're just upset over your loss."

Sasuke shot up then, causing the world around him to spin. He gripped his head, hissing. Itachi attempted to help him but Sasuke refused, sliding out of bed and stumbling to the door. He nearly fell forward after opening the door but persisted to his own room, practically collapsing on the bed.

He panted from the amount of energy he felt pour out of him. He then used his good arm to curl up in his own blankets, hugging his knees to his chest as he let his eyelids go down. Sasuke took a few deep breathes, ignoring the throbbing pain in his right arm and the fact that his brother was coughing horridly again.

He couldn't bring himself to do anything.

It only felt like it had been ten minutes when Sasuke was shaken awake, someone frantically calling his name. He quickly recognized Suigetsu and Karin, and the shaking and poking got harder. "What?" Sasuke snapped, emerging from his cocoon of blankets with a glare on his face.

The two didn't have time to answer him, for when he heard the awful wheezing and coughing coming from the living room Sasuke bolted out. He swallowed thickly at the sight of his brother crouched over, a hand on his mouth as he hacked blood. It dripped out of his palm, curving around to meet at the back of his hand, then splitting to either drip down on the ground or down his arm.

Sasuke's legs worked on their own, his entire body soon going into auto-pilot as he ran back to his room. He opened his drawer, fingering the bottle at the very back before snatching it out. He didn't notice it's new weight until he found himself staring at it's now fuller contents. "Sasuke!" Karin cried from the kitchen, already holding a glass of water.

Suigetsu had placed Itachi on the couch, and Sasuke practically ripped Itachi's hand from his mouth and stuffed the pills down his throat. He did it all with shaky hands, spilling some of the water when he held the cup for Itachi to drink.

"Baby brother.."

Weak. That was all that could be used to describe Itachi. The poor man had curled up on the couch after letting his medication sink in, burying his face in the cushions. Sasuke felt his chest burn again at the sight. His brother looked dead, and one would probably assume such from a distance.

He had the money for the treatment. He could have resolved it all the previous night. He didn't have to bet all of his money to avenge Karin. _No,_ Sasuke then thought to himself. _This isn't Karin's fault._

Suigetsu and Karin flinched as their friend abruptly stood from his crouching position at the foot of the couch. His fists were balled at his sides and his head was hanging. "Do either of you know that Sakura girl's residence?" he asked darkly without turning to meet their eyes.

All was silent aside from the noises Itachi made as he struggled to breathe.

"I seen her at the market yesterday.."

Karin was close to falling when Sasuke's head suddenly whipped to look at her. His face was in a pained glare. "What market." he demanded, Suigetsu cowering behind the redhead. She fidgeted with her glasses and wet her lips in preparation of speech.

"W-Well," she began, stepping back slightly when Sasuke turned his body completely to face her. "She was at the market n-near the bus station. No, it's a corner store. It was a corner store, and she was there with some kid. I think it was her son.."

Son? Sasuke smirked widely, making his friends all the more apprehensive. Sakura had somebody she was caring for, too. Someone incapable of doing it for themselves. Someone that depends on her for meals and clothing, good health and just simple company.

If she was going to take his brother away from him, he'd just take her son away from her. Then they'd be even.

"Karin. Go with Suigetsu and find out where she lives. We can do this quickly and cleanly as possible."

They obeyed, heading out to the small city where they'd seen her. Sasuke watched them leave before kneeling down again to stare and Itachi's back, which was facing him.

He wouldn't kill the boy as long as Itachi didn't die.

X

"Dammit, Naruto! Will you just sit and shut up for a minute?!"

The blonde boy stomped and whined. "I-I don't wanna watch The Flintstones! I wanna watch Tom and Jerry!" Naruto cried, bringing his hands to his face. Sakura massaged her temples before snatching the remote and clicking to the section of recorded shows.

She found some of his cartoons after searching quickly. It'd been a long day for her. She only wanted to come home, make some ramen for her and her baby brother, then watch one hundred and eight hours of television. Her own television to be exact. "Look Naruto, it's on!" Sakura said, smiling widely.

Naruto slowly removed his hands from his face, sniffling. He climbed up on the couch, never taking his eyes off of the screen. Sakura nearly cried with relief. She stood from her sitting position on the couch and covered Naruto with his favorite orange blanket, kissing his forehead.

"Thank you, sissy." he mumbled, keeping his eyes on the screen. Sakura nodded. "Yeah, yeah. You're lucky I have patience for you today." she replied with weak venom, only smiling at him. He laughed, Sakura unsure if whether it was at her statement or at the mouse smashing the cat's face with a wooden bat.

She shrugged either way, kissing his head again and heading down the hall to the bathroom. She turned the shower on to it's highest heat, sighing. Her muscles still ached from her fight with…

"Sasuke-kun.." she whispered to herself. Sakura then turned and looked at her body through the mirror. Slowly she removed her shirt, noticing the bruises he'd left on her ribcage area. She then removed her pants, now standing in her undergarments. She got on her tippy-toes and noticed the bruises and cuts he left on her legs.

She couldn't hate him, though. She usually despised those who ruined her precious skin. A heavy sigh escaped her, and she relieved herself of her undergarments to stand under the heat of the shower. The heat soothed her muscles, and she hugged her body.

She could almost imagine the strong arms of her "darling" Sasuke hugging her instead. She'd come to admire the boy, and her fantasies were evolving.

The previous night when she took his money wasn't something she celebrated. She could see that it meant something to him. He wasn't crying out of greed or anger. She'd crushed him. How? She was still oblivious to that.

Leaning deeper underneath the shower head's spray, Sakura closed her eyes. She had already gone shopping, and she still had some money left in her secret stash. It wouldn't be enough to cover what she'd taken from the dark-haired beauty, but it was all she had.

After all, he'd given her all he had.

She nodded to herself in confirmation. She'd take the money out of her stash and find him, then give him the cash. It wasn't like her to take things from people, whether or not it was for her own survival. She did have Naruto to think about, but he wasn't an expensive child. He didn't even bother for toys.

He never did, since he still remembered getting spanked by their father whenever he cried for some. Sakura remembered being held back by her mother when Naruto screamed and cried. She remembered vividly the painful wrenching feeling she'd get in her chest when Naruto would run to her with red streaks all over his arms and torso.

Sakura was fifteen when Naruto was born. The blonde was born with many defects, including the weird scars on his cheeks, considering his mother still drank and smoked as much as she wanted while carrying him and his twin.

There was supposed to be two, but his younger brother died when they were born. Sakura remembered he was a brunette, and he was much smaller. He was also missing an arm. She didn't expect him to live, so she cherished Naruto. She saw him as an angel, as her precious baby brother.

Her parents thought otherwise. They believed the other son was more important, and that it was Naruto's fault he died. When he was an infant, Sakura would stay up endless hours of the night for days to make sure her parents did nothing to him while he slept. When he began fussing for a meal or a diaper change, she was always right beside his crib to clean him up or feed him.

It hurt to know that their parents would leave him to die if she wasn't there.

Whenever she went to school, she brought him. She didn't care what the teachers said, didn't care if the students looked at her as some whore who couldn't keep her legs closed. The school was pretty rundown, so the teachers really didn't do anything about it. They had plenty of pregnant students in the past.

Sakura was also very smart, learning quickly. Her history teacher admired how she was able to complete her classwork and feed her baby, and when she admired it verbally, the other students began to, as well.

"Ugh.." Sakura grabbed the soap bottle and her wash cloth, cleaning herself up and hopping out of the shower. Her childhood memories were tiring. Wrapping the warm towel around herself, she exited the bathroom and was greeted with silence.

She didn't question it, heading to her bedroom. She slipped into her undergarments, a baggy grey shirt and some shorts then headed back out to the living room. It was still deadly silent, and Sakura's heart skipped a beat when she noticed that Naruto was no longer sitting on the couch.

The television was even off. "Naruto?" she called him frantically, already beginning to panic. She walked to the small kitchen, seeing no one. Their apartment was beyond small. "NARUTO?!" Sakura ran to the door, noticing quickly that it was unlocked. She then looked down, seeing large footprints imbedded in the carpet.

Boots.

Her blood boiled and she screamed, running down the stairs of the apartment complex. Many people had opened their doors, wondering what had happened.

Downstairs, outside of the apartment building, Naruto silently cried. "Let me go!" he exclaimed, his captor speeding to a quicker walk. "Shut up, usuratonkachi." Naruto growled, fisting the cloth of Sasuke's white Taekwondo vest. "You damn chicken!" Sasuke squeezed the blonde with his good arm as punishment, earning a squeak out of him.

"You be quiet, or I'll kill you."

"LIKE _HELL_ YOU WILL!"

Sasuke cursed, sliding into an alleyway. He backed up into the darkness, thankful of the lack of moonlight. Sakura's panting figure appeared at the entrance of the alleyway, looking like a bat out of hell.

She could only see darkness. "Naruto!" she called, the blonde boy in Sasuke's arm squeaking when Sasuke squeezed him around the waist. The noise made Sakura's ears perk, and her eyes watered from the bubbling anger ready to burst from within her.

"Give him back, Sasuke!"

Sasuke frowned deeply; it wasn't good that she still remembered his name, even if she did win. Naruto squirmed in his arm, his mouth covered with Sasuke's right hand. He smirked, using all his strength to squeeze the boy again. He moved his hand from Naruto's mouth, another squeak echoing throughout the rather large alleyway.

"Come and find him."

"DAMN YOU!"

Sakura ran into the alleyway, Sasuke immediately putting Naruto down and pushing him behind him. He then ran forward, kicking her in the face. He could see her perfectly. Her body jerked and she clenched her jaw with a small cry.

Naruto cried in the back of the alley, having perfect vision in the dark as well. "You wanna get your ass kicked again, huh?" Sakura whispered darkly, quickly countering with a swipe of her legs under his. She didn't know where he was, but she could feel and hear him. Sasuke caught himself this time, much to her dismay.

She kicked at him, feeling his good arm in a block position. He skidded back from the force of the kicks, but didn't fall. He noted how she was still graceful and beautiful when fighting, even in the dark. Sakura grew aggravated, punching him square in the gut.

Sasuke gasped, having forgotten about her strong punches. Before he could react she was punching him in the face and head, the most sensitive. He hissed, kicking her in the chest. She fell back, nursing her chest for a second before crawling to the back of the alley. She called for Naruto, hugging him tight when she felt him crawl into her lap.

The Uchiha regained focus, seeing the both of them. Hugging. How come she got to live a healthy life with her healthy son? He growled, pulling out the pocket knife. Sakura turned to him, holding Naruto closer to her now painful chest.

"L-Listen, if you're hungry for a rematch, we can have one later! Just not now!" she cried, watching as Sasuke stopped in his tracks of walking closer to her. He tilted his head. "You think this is about the damn match? I've lost before. I'm fine with that. What I'm not fine with is that my brother is dying and you get to be here with your healthy son."

Sakura swallowed thickly. So he..

"He's my baby brother, not my son." She swiped a few loose strands from her face, Sasuke watching as she did so. "I'm sorry, alright? But I won't fair and square. I didn't tell you to bet all of your money. What is stealing and killing my brother going to achieve?"

Sasuke said nothing, hearing her voice beginning to weaken. As it did, he noticed the feeling of vengeful wrath leaving him. "He's only five. Five! What could a five year-old do to benefit this situation?" The Uchiha glared at the ground, suddenly feeling…remorseful?

"If you're going to kill someone, kill me. I defeated you. I took the money. Don't bring my baby brother into this, please.." Now Sakura was crying. The feeling she'd felt minutes ago was terrifying, and just the thought of the fact that Naruto could've died shook her to the core.

Sasuke threw the pocketknife at the wall beside him. Her tears consumed him. They sounded all too familiar..

 _"Please, Fugaku! He's only seven! You can't do this to them!"_

Suddenly Sasuke's heart clenched, and he growled. "I apologize." he mumbled. Sakura looked up with teary eyes. She then smiled weakly.

"We can work together." she suggested. Sasuke looked up, seeing her wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Hn?" Sakura stood, still holding Naruto close. "We can put our skills together and use the money we earn to–"

"Don't be childish."

Sakura's smile fell from her face and she frowned. "Do you want your brother to heal?" Sasuke scoffed and crossed his arms. "You know nothing." he retorted, glaring. She glared back at what she could see of him. "I'm only trying to help. You should be thankful considering I could call the police right now."

She smirked when he fell silent, playing with a pebble on the ground with his foot. "Hn." Sakura stepped forward, feeling his body heat. Her cheeks heated but her face remained in a pout. Sasuke watched as she extended her arm.

"I vow to share my money with you and help you provide for your brother."

Sasuke frowned in thought before sighing. Her skills were impressive indeed, and any type of help would do. Before, when he had his money, he would've refused. He preferred being independent. But now, at this point, with nothing at all, he would accept the help he could get. At least he was honest enough to tell himself that.

He shook her hand. "Hn. Me too."

X

 ** _A/N: Yeah, I did psycho!Sasuke and what :[ Kishi did it too!_**

 ** _No I'm kidding. Sorry this took 69ever, I'm just so busy. Oh, and I'm working on some other ship stories. Gotta finish those, too._**

 ** _This story will be reaching its breaking point very soon! Sasuke will face a great challenge! Stay tuned for that!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Got caught up with school and Thanksgiving! I meant to update before Thanksgiving. Haha, my promises never work out. And I wonder why I don't have my shit together. Sigh. Happy Holidays from me!_**

 ** _Enjoy *^*_**

X

"Cha!" Sakura swung her leg into the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. The force knocked the bag upward before a snapping noise sounded. It echoed throughout the empty gym, a loud thud following after the snap. Sakura's eyes widened before she giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. For about the seventh time that evening, she had kicked the bag off of the hook that kept it attached to the ceiling.

"Ooo," Naruto sang, placing his little hands on his chubby cheeks. "You broke the thing! Chicken's gonna be mad!" Sakura turned her head to look over her shoulder, seeing her baby brother sitting on one of the benches by the large windows. She scoffed, smiling. "His name is Sasuke. And he's not going to be mad." she said, walking over to the heavy bag and lifting it up over her shoulder with ease.

Naruto used his arms to throw his body off the bench onto the floor. "'Sus-kay' is gonna get mad. Your boyfriend's gonna get mad!" Sakura yelped, nearly dropping the bag. "What did you just say?!" she asked, hooking the bag back into place. Naruto noticed his sister's mannerisms and the glowing pink of her cheeks. He widened his eyes, gasping, then smiled as sly as the fox he was.

Sakura heard the gasp, and when she was finished, waited for his reaction. When she didn't get any she turned to him. His expression caused her to be put on edge, and she crossed her arms defensively. "What is it, 'Ruto?" she asked, her cheeks still tinged the shade of her hair. Her brother chuckled haughtily.

"You like him, don't you? Don't you, big sis?"

She glared at him weakly, for he spoke nothing but the truth. It had only been a week, but Sakura thought it was appropriate to say that she'd fallen in love with him. Sasuke had slowly warmed up to her, and she enjoyed his company. During fights they would tag team, earning as much money as possible. She had brought him back to being able to pay for Itachi's treatment, and she could see that he was indeed thankful.

However, Itachi didn't like her. Sakura frowned as she remembered how Itachi would always give her looks or dismiss her as if she didn't exist. She also didn't appreciate the way he treated Naruto, who had enough mouth to speak up for himself about that. Sakura pretended to let it slide for Sasuke's sake.

Not only did she have to deal with him, but Sasuke's friends didn't seem to be too fond of her either. Especially Karin, who made it very clear that she didn't like Sakura. Sakura dismissed that too, not interested in involving herself in petty cat fights. She'd already wiped her clean. She didn't feel the need to put her in her place twice.

"Hello! Sister! Sakura!" Sakura blinked a few times to see Naruto jumping up and down, waving his hand in her face worriedly. She whipped her head side to side slightly to regain focus before grabbing Naruto's wrist. "Sorry, I spaced out." She moved her hands under his arms and hoisted him up, moving to the bench to grab her bag.

Naruto huffed. "Don't let that chicken boy steal you from me. You're my big sis! Mine!" he declared. Sakura chuckled, smooching his temple. "Yes, sir." She swung her duffle bag over her shoulder and moved to the exit of the empty gym, switching the lights off as she moved past the door.

She walked out of the building into the cool air of the evening. It was nearing dinner time, and she wasn't in the mood for any take out. During her time at the Uchiha residence, Sakura had been fed nothing but take out. Pizza, burgers, Southern food, Chinese, Mexican, and Indian. Neither Itachi and Sasuke had any type of cooking skills. She began to theorize that Itachi's condition was worsening faster due to the oily fast food he's been fed regularly.

As she neared Sasuke's apartment building, she felt Naruto grip tight to her abruptly. She moved her hand to his back and rubbed soothingly. "What's wrong?" she asked. Naruto's haired brushed against the skin of her bare shoulder as he shook his head. He then whimpered, burying his face in her neck.

He never did that unless he was frightened.

"Naruto." Sakura stopped, grabbing him to place him down. However, as she tried to, he gripped tighter to her as if she were to disappear if he let go. Sakura huffed in annoyance. "Naruto, what's wrong?" she whispered. Her brother only shook his head again, and she growled.

She began walking again, fixing the duffle bag on her shoulder. Sakura swallowed thickly, not able to ignore the vibrations of Naruto's beating heart. "Naruto, what's the matter?" she asked again after a couple of minutes. Naruto only whimpered before shaking his head once more. He gripped to the straps of her sports bra, pushing her to the edge even more.

Sakura nearly cried with joy when she reached the steps to Sasuke's apartment building. She threw the door open, being greeted with the warmth of the building. She walked up the steps to room seven, knocking. Naruto moved his head from out of Sakura's neck. He sighed heavily.

"Sakura," he began. She noticed the extreme fear in his voice. She didn't speak, waiting for him to continue. "I saw someone when we were walking." Sakura frowned deeply. "What do you mean?" she questioned softly. Naruto gulped. "A-A man. Following us!" Her eyebrows tightened, and both siblings jumped when the lock of the door clicked.

The door moved open and Sasuke stood there. He noticed the way the two siblings had jerked in surprise, frowning. His frown deepened when he noticed the unmistakable look of fear in Sakura's emerald green orbs. She was home late, and there was a look of fear in her eyes. Something kicked into him and the words left his mouth before he could process them. "What happened?"

She blinked, shifting Naruto in her arms before putting him down. "What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, smiling sweetly. Sasuke felt his chest clench, and he shook his head then stepped aside to let them in. Naruto nearly knocked him over when he ran in, his eyes settling on the slumped being on the couch. Said being locked eyes with the little fox.

"Weasel man!" Naruto screeched, running to Itachi. Itachi moved like molasses, trying to scooch to a different side of the couch. Naruto caught him, hugging him around the waist. "Remove your hands from me immediately." Itachi said darkly, a threat in his tone. Naruto only looked up at him, a wide grin on his face, before crawling into his lap and curling up in a ball against his chest and stomach.

Sasuke smirked at the sight of the blonde cuddling with his brother. Naruto was the only one that could bring words with vehement out of his brother, and Sasuke appreciated that mildly. One part was jealous, not that he'd admit that. He turned to Sakura when he remembered what had hit him earlier. "Would you like to tell me what happened?" he asked softly. He didn't want to evoke any type of fear or angst in Naruto, since he seemed to have forgotten. He also wasn't familiar with dealing with scared children. Sakura looked into Sasuke's eyes, feeling her heart jump.

"It's nothing. Just a bug." she replied cheerfully, waving her hand dismissively. She then gasped in realization. "Actually, there is something I need to discuss with you. Something important!"

At first Sasuke grew apprehensive. What could she possibly need to talk about? A million possibilities ran through his mind, and it all reminded him of why he had grown something against girls. Then he was hit with the thought of feelings. Was she really going to talk about that with him?

What Sasuke didn't expect was to be standing in his kitchen before a cutting board with a bowl of peeled potatoes sitting beside it.

"It's really simple. All you have to do is cut them into little cubes. You can do that, right?" Sakura asked. Sasuke turned to her, their eyes locking. There was a mocking glint in her eyes, but as he stared, it slowly turned into something else. Something affectionate. A look he'd definitely seen before.

He looked away with a grunt, grabbing the first potato and placing it on the cutting board with his bad arm. He then grabbed the knife with his good arm and began slicing. She had told him that they couldn't be wasting money on stuff like food off of the streets. Sasuke didn't mind giving that up, mainly because he didn't really eat much. He ate small amounts of the fast food and gave the rest to Itachi, trying his best to fill him up.

Sasuke nearly smacked himself in realization when Sakura told him that fast food wouldn't be good for Itachi in his current state. He then agreed to help her cook a vegetable soup while Naruto bugged Itachi, the weasel and the fox going back and forth with insults neither of them could understand.

"Hey, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha turned from the hewed potato to the girl stirring the pot. She was stirring so elegantly, innocently. Sasuke was briefly amazed by how she could make doing a casual thing seem so beautiful. Purely beautiful. He had to take a double take to process what he'd been staring at.

Sakura wasn't blind nor stupid; she nearly fainted from shock when she noticed him staring. But she knew how to collect herself. Clearing her throat, she moved the spoon from the soup and placed it on a folded napkin on the counter near the stove. She used her now free hand to slide a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Her heart thumped as she felt him watching.

"I was wondering," she began when she noticed she had his undivided attention, "if you'd like to go out somewhere with me sometime? Perhaps a movie or something?"

Sasuke frowned. He should've expected this. He wasn't the gentleman type, considering he wasn't raised up by any type of gentleman figure.

Itachi wasn't one to deal with women. He never had time to fool around since he had his little brother to think about and provide for. Sasuke did remember one girl that went by the name Honey, who was madly in love with Itachi. She was a sweet and selfless girl, and Sasuke recalled Itachi calling her "giggles" since she was always laughing. Sasuke was only thirteen at the time of her arrival, so of course he hated her. However, instead of ignoring his protests as expected, Itachi threw her out. He was slightly depressed afterwards, but Sasuke helped him get over it.

The Uchiha took in that he'd been staring at his feet the whole time. Looking up, he fell into emerald green eyes. Sakura sighed in embarrassment, her cheeks dusting light red. Sasuke swallowed a lump that snuck into his throat, then sighed as well. He placed the knife and potato slice down.

"Actually, there's a party Allston invited me to. I was going to go." Sasuke said.

Sakura pursed her lips, trying to keep from laughing. She could see the small dust of color in his creamy cheeks. It was as clear as daylight to her, and that made her heart thump. That along with the fact that he was inviting her to join him. By then Sakura was grinning like a fool, and as much as Sasuke was disturbed by it and her resemblance to Naruto, he never looked away.

"I'd love to accompany you, Sasuke-kun."

X

"Honestly, do we have to be here?"

Karin fidgeted with her glasses when Sasuke sent her a silencing look. Suigetsu sipped at a fruity drink, drumming his fingers on his knee in rhythm with the blasting music. Sweaty bodies moved about frantically, either dancing, fighting, or sparring. The music's bass shook the ground, vibrating the large abandoned building that belonged to Allston's side of town.

Sasuke looked around, scanning the area for a certain pink haired girl. Sakura had insisted that she go back to her apartment to get ready. Itachi had stayed behind with Naruto, the blonde promising not to kill the weasel. Itachi merely scoffed, allowing the five year-old to cuddle against him as long as he remained silent.

Through all the flashing, seizure-giving lights and rapidly moving bodies Sasuke spotted a bright glow of pink. He noticed Sakura move about through the crowd, struggling greatly. Karin had noticed as well, groaning softly. She adjusted her glasses, glancing at Suigetsu, who caught her eye. He gave her a look, holding his hand up at her. She took a deep breath.

Sakura finally managed to move to the back where all the furniture, hydration, and sustenance was placed. She wore a simple dark red off the shoulder dress, some neck jewelry, and small earrings. Her hair was curled, being very bouncy and full of volume. Her lips were glossed, and her eyes were enhanced by the eyeliner she wore.

Karin soundly seethed as Sasuke became mesmerized.

"You look good, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke blinked violently when her voice flowed into his ears. It was crystal clear over the music. The Uchiha looked down at his blue plaid shirt and dark pants, deeming himself sloppy. Either way, he looked up at her into her eyes with a frown.

"Hn. You, too."

Sakura brought her manicured fingers to her mouth, giggling behind them, before moving a curl from her face. "So, do you dance?" she asked with a sly smirk. Sasuke heard the challenge in her voice, his own smirk arising.

"No," he said, taking her wrist, "but I won't lose to you."

He dragged her out to the center of the spacious room, keeping his grip tight on her so as not to lose her in the wave of people. Once he found a decent spot he turned to face her. She brushed a few curls out of her face then moved to grab his hands. When she did, she smirked again before rolling her hips to the beat of the music.

Fortunately yet unfortunately for Sasuke, the music was slow and silky. All too seductive. He watched as her body followed her hips, her hands moving out of his to run around her body. Sakura chuckled inside when she noticed Sasuke's eyes glue to her movements. What she didn't expect, however, was for him to come forward to her.

His hands found their way on her hips. Sakura slowed her movements, and immediately Sasuke moved her hips back to the beat. The space between them was so great it was maddening, but Sakura kept patience and rolled her hips again along to Sasuke's commands.

Sasuke watched them before he looked up to Sakura, smirking amusedly at her dark blush. Her flush was as clear as daylight to him despite the flashing colorful lights and dark room. Like a jungle cat zoning in on its prey, Sasuke took a slow step closer, keeping her dancing. Sakura swallowed, her heart thumping in her chest.

Her patience began to die when he took another slow step to her. As she began to crumble, Sakura rocked her hips, hoping to entice him a bit faster. Sasuke growled lowly but deeply at the sight but held his ground, taking another slow, fatally teasing step closer. Their was still plenty of space between them.

At that moment Sakura gripped Sasuke's wrists and smashed her body to his, her arms going around his waist. She fisted his shirt and creeped up on her tippy toes, her lips brushing against his ear. "If you don't know where to go, I'll finish on my own. Let me know when you can no longer keep up."

Sasuke had no time to react for her attack was quick and sharp. She ground her hips into his, causing the Uchiha to hiss. Involuntarily his hips jerked back against hers. He watched as she gasped, bit her lower lip, then scoffed as she rolled her hips into his. It quickly turned into a competition. They both went at it with equal vigor and passion, the sinful lust building within them.

Sweat gathered at their temples as they panted for air, still grinding and moving ecstatically. Sakura had switched her position, her back against his chest. Sasuke jerked his hips back and forth against her, his body acting at its own accord. Somewhere deep in his mind he was screaming with terror at what he was doing, but a majority of his mind encouraged him to keep it up.

"Let's get out of here, Sasuke." he heard Sakura say, her voice still clear to him over the loud music and voices. He could hear the desperate tone, and his stomach did a flip when he realized what she wanted. He nearly threw up when he realized that he himself was up for what she wanted.

Sasuke nodded, grabbing her hand and leading her to the entrance. He wiped the growing sweat at his forehead and temples, swallowing thickly. His heart raced every time she squeezed his hand for it reminded him that he was actually going to do…the do with such a beauty.

Before he knew it, he slammed the door open to his apartment after unlocking it. The place was dark and silent, and the two assumed that their brothers were asleep. Sakura closed the door softly and locked it, turning to Sasuke.

"Hey," she said, Sasuke looking at her, "you left Karin and Suigetsu."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you worried about that?" he asked quietly, his velvety voice booming through the silent room. He walked closer to her again, grabbing her hips. Sakura pursed her lips as Sasuke leaned in. He noticed, craning his neck back.

"Is this okay?" he whispered. Sakura wet her lips, her heart thudding in her chest. She didn't want Sasuke to only be attracted to her body. She didn't want to wake up with him regretting everything. It wasn't what she wanted him for. She wanted him for who he was, and wanted for him to feel the same about her.

"I was only teasing.." She smiled nervously. Sasuke sought her as transparent, seeing the conflict in her eyes. That look. That poignant look.

He grabbed her chin, stilling her, then leaned in again. Sakura let her eyes flutter closed when she felt the soft collision of their lips. All thoughts were gone and her stomach felt almost burnt. It was as if it were melting. Her face heated up as well, the sweat recollecting at her temples.

Sasuke couldn't stop. A feeling bubbled up within him, and unlike her, a million thoughts raced in his mind. In all of his years of living, never before had he felt what he was feeling. It was like a drug effect. He wanted more. He needed more.

His hands slid down to her bare thighs then up her dress, finding the lining of her lace. He twirled his finger around it and settled her up against the wall of the door when she flinched. Sasuke kept his lips pressed against hers. Something told him he was crossing a dangerous boundary. He was rushing it.

Fuck it.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his shoulders, daringly moving back from the kiss. She stared into his eyes, her cheeks as dark as roses. Sasuke used his free hand to cup her cheek, his thumb rubbing the skin. No words were spoken verbally, but as they stared into each other's eyes, too many words rushed out of them.

Sasuke couldn't comprehend and simply kissed her again. Both hands slid to the back of her thighs and he hoisted her up. She responded immediately by hooking to him, and he stumbled through the living room down the hall. He fumbled to open the door to his bedroom, not wanting to disconnect them.

Both sighed in relief when he finally got it open. He kicked it closed behind him, flinching when it slammed. Sakura moved herself from his hold and allowed herself to be softly halfway placed on his bed. The straps of her dress fell off her shoulders and Sasuke gulped, internally cursing himself for showing weakness.

The pinkette smiled comfortingly, assuringly, before grabbing the top of her dress and wiggling out of it. Sasuke watched with utter concentration as she wiggled out of the garment and discarded it, being left only in her undergarments and jewelry. Sakura laid herself out on his bed as if she were in her own when she caught no sign of a negative response from the raven. Said raven stared her down, drinking in her skin and revealing lace.

He frowned when he caught light bruises. By taking in the spots, he realized that he had made those marks. He marked her porcelain skin. Sasuke placed his hands on the bed, his bad arm twitching in it's cast, then crawled to her. His hands rested on either sides of her head, and he hovered over her. One hand snaked it's way to rub at a bruise just below her bosom, and Sasuke sighed when Sakura gasped. The skin was rough, but yet still very soft, and he could almost imagine what her healthy unmarked skin felt like.

Sakura suddenly felt exposed before him. She sat up and began unbuttoning Sasuke's shirt, glad to find him bare beneath. She rubbed circles into his sides, amused when his breath hitched and he choked on a whine. Sakura was no expert, but she planned to make her raven feel good. Her hands moved from his sides to the front of his pants, skillfully unbuckling and removing his belt. She stared at his poking excitement then looked up at him, chewing at her lower lip.

Sasuke felt ready to burst. He'd experienced sexual desire before, but only because he was growing into a man. Now, he was itching for relief. A simple handjob wouldn't do. Softly, he pushed her down onto her back again. He looked at her from below him the way one would at a masterpiece. A work of art. He didn't even know where to begin.

She sensed his confusion, and could also see it in his eyes. To try and comfort him, Sakura closed her eyes. Sasuke wet his lips, again drinking in her beauty. It amazed him how she didn't even have to try. After removing her necklace, Sasuke bent his good arm to lean down, bringing his mouth to the crook of her neck. Sakura restrained herself from jerking when his warm breath tickled her skin. Who knew the almighty, powerful Sasuke could melt at sex?

He took a few deep breaths before hesitantly placing a soft, chaste kiss on the skin. He then reeled back as if he'd break her into a million glass shards. Sakura tightened her lips and kept her eyes closed. Sasuke wasn't sure if she was enjoying it, but he leaned down again anyway and kissed along her neck. He kept it clean and innocent until he moved to the opposite side, opening his mouth to let his tongue slowly creep out of it's cave to taste.

Cherries; she tasted like the smell of a cherry dessert. He didn't like sweet things, but she was a goddamn delicious poison for him. Sasuke suckled some skin for a bit then dived deeper when Sakura tilted her head back to reveal more of herself for him. Sakura's breath hitched before it picked up rapidly, her body submerging into a pit of heat. It was a type of heat she'd never experienced before.

"Let me know if anything hurts." Sasuke commanded in a low tone. Sakura nodded, keeping her eyes closed as he moved away. She waited to feel his tongue work miracles on her. Just as her patience curled in she felt his hands on the lace of her panties. He took his time in dragging them down, and it felt like forever when they were off her ankles and she could feel the breeze. Then Sasuke's tongue was on her again, this time assaulting her collar bone. His hands moved her bra straps down and pulled them off her bosom before unclipping them entirely.

Sasuke nearly growled ferally at the sight before him. Sakura was indeed a muse. Finally she peeked open her eyes, revealing emerald jewels fogged with lust. She panted, looking straight at him. Sasuke felt himself ready to burst again, and before he knew it he was unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. He gasped when he was freed, aching and pulsing an angry red.

Sakura openly made room for him, also feeling his burden. She released a wanton whine, Sasuke grunting in response. He remembered something Itachi's friend told him about when he was younger. He was ready, but he wasn't sure if she was. For some reason, he deemed hurting her unnecessary. He remembered the trick seeming legitimate, now that he looked back on it. He slowly brought up two fingers, tapping her tightened lips softly. She looked at the fingers then at him.

"I know this is weird. Trust me. I just.." She couldn't help but smile warmly as he glared weakly out of the corner of his eyes. She opened her mouth and took the fingers in, running her tongue over the digits. Sasuke's glare disappeared and was replaced with shocked amusement at the sudden action. She made sure to coat them well before pulling back. Her reddening lips stretched to another smile and Sasuke nodded. "Thank you."

After she nodded, he pressed his four fingers against her, swallowing when she squirmed. The heat was unbearable, along with her rising patience. Sasuke caught on quickly for he slowly pushed a saliva-coated finger in. A small noise escaped him when Sakura mewled, her legs parting more. The Uchiha huffed when he felt his face heating up at the sight. Her eyes fell closed again as she rolled her hips down against his finger.

He experimentally pushed in another finger and made scissor motions, watching her. Sakura cried out sharply, her back arching beautifully off the bed. Sasuke thrust them in and out, listening to the sounds of wet smacking and blissful noises coming from the bright haired beauty sprawled out before him like music to his ears. Sakura chewed at her lower lip, ripping skin from it as she burned with need.

"Sasuke," she whispered with opened eyes. The male slowly removed his fingers, moving his hands back on either side of her head. He wiggled his hips so that his pants rode low enough off of him. Sakura swallowed, waiting for him patiently. Sasuke fisted his sheets as he pushed in, the muscles instantly clamping around him. His face grew unbearably hot as he failed to hold back the moan that escaped him. He felt himself entering a new world of euphoria as he slid in deeper, panting heavily and grunting ferally as he was squeezed. He briefly wondered if Itachi had ever experienced such a feeling with Honey.

The pinkette slid her hands around his back, fisting his shirt. She then pulled him forward as if urging him to go more. Sasuke pressed his lips roughly against hers, Sakura instantly responding just as roughly. It soon became a battle of tongues, Sasuke pushing and grinding in and out of the pinkette. He moved slow enough not to hurt her, but hard enough to weaken her. Lust consumed him as he did so, dominating her tongue.

Sakura moaned into his mouth, pushing her hips back to meet him at every stroke. Sasuke pulled back to bite down on her neck, and as she gasped in pain, Sakura dragged her nails down his back. Sasuke hissed, and another battle arose. They moved in harmony, gracefully, but still in rhythms that tried to overpower the other. Sakura buried her face into Sasuke's neck when she couldn't hold back her cries.

"Harder, Sasuke!" she commanded in a light cry, Sasuke obeying by slamming into her. His brain turned into molten mush by the time his lower stomach tightened, and he kissed Sakura's lips repeatedly, some kisses lasting longer than others. Sakura grit her teeth and clawed at every inch of his bare skin, tearing up in pleasure.

It wasn't long before the couple saw stars and Sakura was crying from the intensity and pain. Sasuke showered her face and neck in kisses after releasing himself from her, wiping her tears. He then laid beside her, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to recollect his breath. His hair stuck to his forehead and his muscles weakened, his injured arm throbbing within the holds of it's cast. He ignored it however when he saw Sakura sit up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up also. Sakura turned to him and looked at him for awhile. Sasuke's eyes glowed from the moonlight passing through the curtains. They shone passionately, and she smiled. Sasuke didn't return the smile, instead cupping her cheek and leaning in. They met each other at an open kiss, Sakura slowly falling onto her back with Sasuke hovering back over her.

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: …_**

 ** _I don't have much to say. U-Uh, I'm gonna go finish my NaruSaku. Thanks for reading!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Yes, I am back in the building with an update! Sorry it took so long, though. I was managing my stories when I realized that I had kept 34 faithful people waiting! How could I bare to sleep at night knowing I did such a thing!? I also revised it plenty of times, since I wanted to make it perfect. Enjoy!_**

 ** _X_**

 _She smelled sweet. Amongst the many delicacies that could be used as a description,'floral' was the best. The skin blanketing the crook of her neck was warm, and her silk-like hair tickled his nose in a way that was comforting. It was hard resisting resting your head there. Her breathing only made it all the more difficult; it was slow and steady, fitting the tranquility of her beating heart._

 _Sasuke could smell her as he buried his head between her shoulder and head. Her hair tickled him again for a second, but he didn't bother in swiping it away. His body felt warm against her bosom, and he could only hear her whispers of sweet nothings in his ear._

 _It was loud around them; he could hear the buzz of voices in the distance. That all went away, though, for her voice was the only thing that stayed clear in his ear. A hand stroked his hair, then the back of his neck, then his back. Soon it was rubbing circles into the latter, and he sighed in content._

 _A few pats and pokes of his feet caused him to grunt, and he curled his toes in retreat. He attempted to reposition himself, but the voice returned, and he was settled again. His hands fisted the front of her shirt in security._

 _"Sasuke.."_

 _Everything was well, but for a period of time. Soon, screams were all he could hear. Piercing as they were, they never ended. The owners of the voices didn't seem to tire out. Heavy, rough movement surrounding him was not enough to block out the increasing pace of her beating heart. He clutched harder on her shirt, then began to squirm._

 _A shriek passed his lips when a pair of hands were clutching his sides, nearly squeezing him with little to no effort. Despite his clutching, he was ripped from the warmth, the sweetness, the steady breathing and heart beats. He was derived from his light, and all he could do was scream and shriek, kicking with all his might. The might that did nothing._

 _"Sasuke!"_

He jolted upright with a start. The first thing he could regard upon his waking moment was the vicious beating of his heart. Shakily, he let a hand rest on his chest, stationing it just over where his heart laid within; he was nearly shocked that it was moving this fast. Blood pumped wildly throughout his being as he observed his quivering circulatory organ. Equally, his lungs were expanding at a rate that burned his throat. Air left him in broken pants.

Slowly, as the burning died down to a numbing sensation, Uchiha Sasuke turned his head to his right. He felt reassurance, and a jump of his heart upon looking at who was beside him. The jump of his heart wasn't anxiety, but rather a reaction of affection. Laying down next to him, in an evidently peaceful state of mind, was Haruno Sakura. The first female in his life that not only swooned over him, but was able to make him swoon over her in return.

The aforementioned pinkette was laying on her side, facing him. The blankets covered her just below her upper arm, the latter visibly curled up beneath her head for support. She wore one of his old training shirts, and her strawberry blonde hair was a tad bit tousled from sleep. Though he never minded when she had bed head, she hated it. He began to theorize that she wanted to avoid it so much, that she subconsciously told herself to keep still at night as she slept.

Sasuke found it to be pretty…adoring, of her.

As if she felt him staring, Sakura stirred and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. After a moment of soft writhing, she relaxed her eyes and let them flutter open. The emerald orbs shone in the early afternoon sunlight, which peeked in from the torn bedsheets that acted as curtains for the window above the bed. Sasuke wasn't sure of how he was staring at her, but it made her blush and smile before sitting up with him. Silence stretched between them as she hesitantly reached a hand out and cupped her cheek.

Her body relaxed with obvious relief when he nuzzled his face against the soft palm of her hand. Then, like magnets, they leaned in towards each other. Sasuke tilted his head when he captured her petal-like, naturally pink, full lips with his own. Sakura whined very quietly, and her hand slid from his cheek to cradle the back of his neck. They didn't kiss for long considering Sakura had morning breath, and it bothered her more than it ever could Sasuke.

"Good morning," she whispered against his lips after she initiated the end of their kiss. He smirked softly and leaned in for a peck, then returned the salutation before lying down again. She mimicked this action, though a little softer, and scooted in beside him. He glistened in the light due to a thin layer of sweat covering his body. A touch of his bare chest confirmed that for her, and she frowned with concern.

"Were you hot last night?" she asked him. Sasuke wiped his forehead upon her questioning, and cursed when his palm nearly slid right off the damp skin. He hated whenever she worried about him. Mostly because she worried more than the situation actually warranted. He shook his head slowly.

"No. Nightmare."

"About?"

He said nothing this time. Sakura respected this; it'd been only a week since the party, and although they continued a healthy sexual relationship with each other since then, they didn't exactly confirm that they were dating. At least, not verbally. Sasuke allowed her to kiss and cuddle with him, while she allowed for him to hold her at night and brush her hair voluntarily. She soothed her occasional worries with the thought that their relationship was with silent mutual consent. However, if one of them felt like something was too personal to share with the other, they backed off. Sasuke was most likely the shy one in all cases. He never asked about her past life, and he never revealed too much about his own.

Despite the secrecy, she had an idea of what might be bugging him and disrupting his slumber. She gently wiped a little more of his forehead before leaning over and giving it a kiss. He made a small noise in response, but rather no attempts to stop her. Not that he ever had when she did things like this to him. She pushed his bangs back and ran her fingers through his soft hair, her lengthy nails gently grazing over the skin of his scalp. Now he moaned softly, his eyes fluttering closed as she massaged his scalp with rhythmic movements of her fingers.

Their moment was broken, however, when the house phone shrilled loudly throughout the room. It sat on its base, which was located on the top of Sasuke's nightstand by his bed. The raven slowly sat up once again. He gently grabbed Sakura's wrist and moved it from his head to place it in his lap, then roughly yanked the phone off of its base. Before he pressed the accept button, it had stopped ringing, and the small screen depicted that the line was in use.

Still, the raven brought the phone to his ear out of curiosity.

" _But sir, your appointment has already_ _been made. Payment was also made entirely._ " Judging by her voice, Sasuke could tell that it was a receptionist from the clinic he'd called a couple days prior. He frowned; what was she talking about?

" _Thank you, ma'am. If necessary, you can send the money back. But really, it won't be needed. That, and the appointment. It's been decided that I stay home to rest, instead._ " Now Sasuke was appalled. That was Itachi talking. Sakura's own eyebrows furrowed as she observed her raven's expression, but it was out of concern. His was out of anger. Said anger morphed to full-on fury as he listened further.

" _Oh…alright. We won't send a full refund, since there's the cancellation fee. But you will receive your money back._ "

" _Thank you, again. You have a nice day._ "

" _Likewise._ "

The line went dead from there, and Sasuke pressed hard on the decline button to end the call. His thumb increased its pressure even after the phone performed his desired function of it, and the button eventually emitted a loud crack before shifting out of formation. His thumb slowly bled crimson behind the paleness of his skin, and his hand quivered entirely before launching the device across the room. Sakura flinched when it shattered to pieces against the wall in a loud crash.

How dare he? How dare he, after all that time of subjecting Sasuke to work for hope of finding some money, deny treatment? How dare he, after all those years of claiming to love Sasuke like no other, chew up and spit his determination back in his face? How dare he, after promising to always be there to protect his precious Otouto, deliberately insist on certain death? How dare he lie, and succumb himself to the horrifically twisted ways of the Uchiha?

Like their parents, how dare Itachi abandon him?

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted in surprise as her raven leaped out of bed like a pouncing jungle cat and ran for the door. He gripped the knob with the same vigor as holding someone's neck in a chokehold. The door was swung open in the blink of an eye, and the force that he used caused it to slam loudly against the wall beside it. She got up off the bed after him, though he was much faster in his running down the hallway. The fact that he had a head start didn't make the situation any better or easier in her position.

Itachi had been in the small living room, seated on the couch beside Naruto. The little blond was snuggled up against his side since his pleas to sit in the weasel's lap were rejected, time and time again. The elder of the two heard the heavy footsteps thudding from down the hall after he placed the house phone on its base. He looked up, and was met with the devious glare that belonged to none other than his little brother. The hallway was dim, and it brought out the red undertone in the deep color of Sasuke's eyes.

Immediately, he moved Naruto from his person and stood with a newfound energy from the racing in his heart. Like a raging bull with a red flag flapped in its face, Sasuke lunged for his brother, knocking Itachi over the couch. Itachi gasped, and accepted the impact of his back hitting the floor behind the couch with a grunt. Sasuke sat up and straddled Itachi's waist, then raised his cast-free arm to give his brother a punch.

Unexpectedly, the elder was like a blur with the way he grabbed Sasuke's wrist and twisted it. Itachi bent it while keeping it in its abnormal position, but once his little brother cried out, he loosened the amount of force put into cracking it. Instead, he used Sasuke's distracted state to sit up and throw the raven off him by the arm. Said raven landed on his hands and knees ungracefully, for he was caught off guard by Itachi's sudden…strength.

"You piece of shit!" Sasuke remembered his anger then, and it gave him another rush of adrenaline. He launched yet again for his now standing brother. Itachi seemed to have had his own similar rush of adrenaline, for he withstood Sasuke's attempt to tackle him. The raven's force had the weasel dragging his feet backward, and when Sasuke finally stopped, he began to feel that Itachi was definitely moving out of preservation for himself.

He felt a fistful of his hair being yanked, followed by powerful blows to the back of his neck and along his shoulder blades. It was enough to knock him back to the ground, but he didn't fall in a heap of limbs. He kneeled, giving himself the ability to sweep his legs past Itachi's and knock the weasel down with him. He put enough effort into it that it threw his elder off and flipped his positioning entirely. Yet another surprise: Itachi landed on his hands in a perfect handstand, gracefully, and swung his own legs down in a semi-circular motion across Sasuke's face.

"Argh!" His feet knocked the raven in the nose, striking him twice. How did he have such agility? The raven was too livid to figure out an answer; he ignored the warm blood dribbling down his face as he scurried to his feet alongside Itachi and got to throwing punches. His emotions caused him to be heedless in his tactics. Had this been a fight on the streets with money at stake, he would have put more thought into his moves. Right now, however, he was only focused on channeling his ever-growing frustrations.

Itachi blocked all of the punches, up until the very last one, which hit him right across the mouth. He made a small noise of surprise as his side slammed up against the wall from the force. He spit blood out at Sasuke's feet, then closed his eyes as the younger gripped his shirt and busted his back up against the wall. Due to being limited to one hand, the raven pushed his body up against Itachi's to keep him still, then used his good hand to continue with punching his elder brother.

"Stop it, Sasuke!" Sakura's cry came suddenly from behind the raven. Her plea did not hinder his anger, yet it had caught his attention for a brief second. One wouldn't be able to catch it from afar, but since he was so close, Itachi caught the way Sasuke's eyes brightened with focus. He also took note of the slight hesitation of his arm, which quivered as his younger brother took a second to reconsider whether or not he should actually retreat. The weasel could tell that Sakura had some form of effect, influence, on his baby brother.

In that brief moment of reconsideration, Itachi grabbed Sasuke's wrist in a near vice-grip. He didn't give the younger much time to struggle from there, for he firmly twisted his arm and pushed him back. At that moment, little Naruto ran in between them. He held his arms out to them, "Stop it, please! You're making sister cry, this is no fun!"

The child's presence didn't seem to do much for Sasuke, for his eyes were still spinning with rage. Itachi was quick to grab Naruto and shield the blonde behind him before Sasuke could do harm. Though he wished not to resolve anymore of the conflict with physical violence, he wouldn't hesitate to hurt Sasuke if he dared to injure Naruto. Said boy whimpered behind Itachi, cowering under Sasuke's gaze despite it not being directed at him.

The brothers panted softly for a moment. Just as the younger of the two began to take a step towards Itachi, Sakura threw herself in front of Sasuke and placed her hands tenderly on his chest. He looked down at her upon feeling her touch, and his face relaxed by a fraction. Her cheeks were rosy red and glistened from fallen tears, and her lips quivered as she held back sobs. Her emerald eyes contained apparent fear. This encouraged Sasuke to calm down a bit more. However, he still felt the urge to channel his anger. Bring the reasoning behind his hostility to light. With a renowned scowl, Sasuke locked gazes with Itachi.

"I heard you on the phone. What the hell has gotten into you that's made you _suicidal_?! What have I been working for all these years?!" he yelled, beginning to shake as his emotions took over. Itachi only blinked, the sole sound from him being his audibly soft panting. This frustrated Sasuke further.

"Answer me, dammit! Fuck, Aniki, w-why?!"

"…"

An agonizing silence stretched between every occupant of the room. Naruto's little hands clutched to the fabric of Itachi's loose sweatpants, and small whimpers escaped him from behind the eldest of the room. Said eldest reached a hand down and gently pet Naruto's shaggy head of golden tresses. The gesture was obviously of affection more than reassurance. One of Sasuke's eyes twitched, and he caught his lower lip between his teeth as his temper ticked dangerously. He couldn't hold it in any longer, for the lack of an answer from his brother was just mocking. A pure mockery to everything he'd vowed to live for.

"You know what? I hate you! I fucking hate you! You want to go die?! _BE MY GUEST!_ " Sasuke spat in Itachi's face. He didn't miss the glossiness of Itachi's eyes before he left the room, storming out of the apartment entirely. Hot tears dripped down his gradually flushing cheeks as he left, huffing dangerously like a caged animal. He was ready to strike out on anything at that moment. However, at the same time, he felt like nothing. Absolutely nothing.

 ** _X_**

The wind was gentle on his sticky, warm face. Like a loving caress of the cheek, a breeze swept past Sasuke as he laid out on the cold concrete beneath him. He observed the sky above him, taking note of the beautifully correlated colors of the sun's setting. The soft pink of the sky reminded him of the woman he was growing to be madly in love with, and the vibrant purples and yellows, of her younger brother. He took a deep breath and let his eyes fluttered closed. They burned from the previous exertion of waterworks.

Despite not being fond of such a display of emotions, Sasuke was able to admit to himself hours ago that he felt better. Both physically and emotionally had he improved. Though he wasn't completely healed of the cold revealing of Itachi's true intentions, he felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest. The burning anger had subsided with the tears, and he didn't feel the tingling in his limbs that begged for some hostile movement, anymore.

For a minuscule moment, Sasuke felt almost…at peace, with coming to acceptance of his feelings. It wasn't something he did often, not since he was ten or eleven. As another light gust of wind swept through his face and hair, like the leaves of a tree, he heard the loud scraping noise of the roof door against the concrete. He didn't open his eyes, but kept his auditory senses on high alert. The door's hinges creaked from old age, for the door was being pulled and pushed, back and forth, in apparent hesitation.

Eventually, it was decided that the door be closed. It did so in a dull clanking noise. All was silent again, save for the soft footsteps that sounded. They were advancing towards him at a rather slow pace, and Sasuke let his guard down with a quiet sigh. It added to the tranquility of his current state of mind. Thus, he let it happen. After a few more delicate steps, the noises stopped altogether. A rustle of clothing replaced it, in addition to the bottom of sneakers against the rooftop's concrete. In little time, he felt body heat radiating over to his side.

"Sasuke-kun.." Sakura's voice was a hoarse plea, but it also had a quality of dryness that indicated her tears to be gone. Sasuke stayed still, which allowed the pinkette to look down at him. He looked almost as if he were sleeping; his facial expression had never looked so calm even when he was actually sleeping. The only sign of disturbance was of the black and blue spread over the bridge of his nose. That, and the dried blood. As she observed longer, she realized that he looked to be more dead than in slumber. She reached a hand out and cupped his cheek, gently running the pad of her thumb over the delicate skin.

Like a snake being lured with the hypnotic tunes of a pungi, Sasuke leaned on his good arm and sat up altogether. He kept his eyes closed until he was completely upright. They only opened halfway, giving off a soft look that was directed towards Sakura. She pursed her lips, though having meant to smile initially. Her hand fell to her lap, and she shifted her kneeling position to sitting with her legs crossed.

"You don't mean what you said to Itachi-san." she said softly. Though she made a comment, he heard the underlying tone of questioning. He heard the reassurance that she was asking for. He was nothing short of the truth for her; she'd come to love the family connection that formed over the past several weeks between her, Sasuke, Itachi, and Naruto. She cherished her developing relationship with the raven, and appreciated the evident affection between the weasel and the blonde. The thought of such bonds being broken left a dull ache in her chest. A harsh rip of a bandage, revealing an old wound to the freezing cold of the wind.

Sasuke blinked tiredly, then smirked softly with a quiet chuckle. He looked down at his lap. "You remind me of one of my cousins. He was always protective of mine and Itachi's brotherhood."

Sakura couldn't help but to give a small smile at that response. Then her curiosity struck her, and she nibbled at her lower lip with anticipation. She fiddled with her thumbs childishly for a little, her eyes casted downwards.

"…Where are your parents, Sasuke?"

She mustered up the courage to look up for his reaction. She always tried to read his body language when she asked something considerably risky. This enabled her to cover up any mistakes and keep her foot from falling too far down her throat. In this particular case, she would definitely need to know when to save herself. However, surprisingly enough, Sasuke only sighed. His smirk fell, and his eyes seemed to soften even more as he turned his head up towards the sky.

He slowly laid back down as he deliberated how to answer that. She picked up on this uncertainty, and out of an attempt to ease it, she laid down with him. She stayed close to against his side, and slowly rested her head onto his chest. Her small smile returned when she felt his arm slide around her back and pull her in closer. Her own arm stretched over his chest, and she could feel his heart beating from under her palm.

"I don't know." he answered truthfully after a while longer of staring up at the sky. The colors were darkening, signifying the quickening approach of dusk. Sakura frowned in both confusion and concern.

"What do you mean?"

Another pause between them as Sasuke closed his eyes, then reopened them.

"They left Itachi and I here, a long time ago. They never came back after that day."

The hand that rested above his heart had slithered over to cup his jugular. She caressed the skin there for a minute or two, then reached up and fingered the raven tresses of his hair. He felt soothed enough to ward off any unwanted emotions, and continue with his answer. "I was seven years old, and Itachi was thirteen. My parents had been behaving….strangely, during the few weeks prior. Itachi and my father were staying up late at night to discuss things that I did not understand. Then, one morning, my mother woke us up in a nervous haste. All of our clothing and personal belongings were packed, and they loaded us into our car before driving us here.."

Sasuke's voice began to trail off from there. Sakura found it odd, but equally scarring. Two young children being left to embark on an entire life ahead of them without any parental guidance. And all without cause, or explanation. Even if their young minds wouldn't comprehend it, it was only fair to at least _try_. Now she was beginning to form an understanding as to why the both of them were the way they were. Especially Sasuke; the young raven was protective and possessive of his elder brother in the beginning of their relationship. She could see the plain jealousy and annoyance in his eyes whenever he caught Naruto getting a bit too close with Itachi. She also noticed how he was quick to defend Itachi's sharp, rude actions towards her. Though she had been irked by it at first, it was more clear to her now that Itachi was all Sasuke had left.

"I had….cried. Begged my mother to stay. She cried with me, and fought my father about the entire ordeal. In the end, it only took him a few words to convince her to silence. The last thing I remember was her holding me in her lap. She soothed me to sleep in her lap with a backrub. I relished in the warmth, like any foolish child would, without knowing that I'd never feel it again."

"Or maybe you did know," He looked at her in slight shock, though she didn't meet his eyes. She kept her eyes casted down at his chest as she caressed him. "You took advantage of that moment because somewhere in the back of your mind, you knew that you'd never be able to relive it."

Gradually, the widening of his eyes decreased to their normal width as he turned back up towards the sky. He'd never thought of that, and he began to try and think back if that was the case. The only thing he was faced with was the harsh reality of waking up to the cold air and the stiff cushions of the couch. And of course, she and his mother were gone. Itachi was sleeping at the foot of the couch, just before Sasuke's head, and the apartment seemed dark despite the shining light of the morning sun peeking in. He'd stored such a memory so far in the back of his mind, bringing it back seemed like reliving it all over again. His chest ached for a long while, and he began his usual defense mechanism of changing the subject. The memory was yet again locked in a durable trunk, to then be set in a dark pit at the very furthest back of his brain.

"What about you?" he asked Sakura, though his words drawled out with a sigh. Now it was her turn to shoot him a partial look of surprise.

"What about me?"

"You're a young girl, as is Naruto a very young child. Where are your parents?"

She wasn't too saddened by such a question that it left her silence. She simply wasn't used to the question entirely. No one really cared that she was alone with a such a small child. Let alone did they care enough to ask about her situation behind it all. They simply assumed that she was a single mother struggling to get by. "They're still alive, and I know where they are. I just have no reason to visit them. And Naruto stays with me because he's my little brother. Naturally, I care about his safety more than anything."

Sasuke wasn't too satisfied with that answer. He pressed for an answer by giving her back a brief pat. It was by means of encouragement. She knew this, and she sighed as she closed her eyes to trace back. "Erm….my parents weren't exactly the best. At least, not when Naruto was born. When I was a child, my parents treated me well. We were poor, but we made the best of what we had. Then everything went downhill when my father lost his job. They started to breakdown from stress, and it only got worse when my mother got pregnant. It was originally a set of twins, but one of them died during the delivery. For that, my parents found a reason to despise Naruto. They neglected him as an infant, often beating him when he cried too much. I hated it. I always made sure he was okay. I got a job to provide for him because I knew that they wouldn't get up off their asses and do it. Once I turned eighteen, I bought my own place and took Naruto with me."

Sakura was fairly angry by the time she finished. Thinking back on the way her parents treated their own son worked her gears. It was ridiculous how they dwelled on someone they never met, someone that was never coming back. It wasn't Naruto's fault whatsoever that his twin didn't make it, and it was disgusting that his parents couldn't realize that as adults. She protected her little brother because she loved him, and she pitied him for having to be born to such twisted people. Her tense state gave way once she felt Sasuke's tender hand rubbing a soothing circle into her back.

"Hn.." He didn't say much on the matter, but instead internally idolized Sakura for such morality. He enjoyed her motherly actions towards him sometimes, though it was now tragic having to know where it stemmed from. It was even more tragic that such maternal responsibilities had been forced upon her at such a young age. It made him pity Itachi for a moment; the weasel was stuck in a similar predicament, for he had to raise a considerably damaged child at the sensitive age of thirteen. Despite Itachi's high maturity level at a rather young age, it wasn't fair to him.

The couple stayed on the roof of their apartment complex together for a while. The sky gradually reached a midnight navy blue in color, and the stars twinkled brightly in a scattered pattern of beauty. Although they were close to the city, the stars were still pretty to look at. It was a full moon that evening, and when the both of them looked up at it, they couldn't help but to stare in awe. Sasuke eventually turned his head and looked to Sakura. She was fairly peaceful in her expression, and the shine of the moon emphasized her own bright beauty. Her hair gave a soft rosy glow in contrast to the dull grey of the concrete she rested on. In addition, her eyes sparkled brighter than the stars that she silently admired.

He stiffly moved to lay on his side as he faced her fully. Though she felt his stare before, she didn't return it until now. Sasuke's casted arm reached out, and his partially covered palm cupped her fragile cheek. He stroked the skin, pushing some of her hair back all the while, and leaned in slowly. She caught on to his intentions, and slowly leaned in towards him as well. The two opened their mouths halfway, and soon their tongues were sliding against each other lewdly. Sakura noted her raven's enjoyable taste despite him not having brushed his teeth upon waking. He did regularly before bed, with the previous night being no exception, so he never had foul breath in the morning. He tasted the mint of the toothpaste in her mouth, which was clearly still fresh.

"Mh.." she moaned. His tongue pushed hers back into her mouth, then proceeded to run laps along its base. He paused to taste every crevice of her mouth, then returned in focusing on mingling their tongues. During the process, he unravelled his good arm from around her back and used it to prop himself up above her. This enabled him to push his head further down, and get his tongue in just deeper. By then, Sakura was tingling with a brewing heat that could only be solved with his touch. As if he could feel it, she felt him move his tongue out of her mouth and press their lips together, then pull back from the kiss entirely. A thin thread of saliva connected them once more, but only for a small moment.

His lips started for the skin just beneath hers, then her chin. It migrated along her jawline, under her ear, behind it, then right at the lobe. He opened his mouth there, his warm breath sending goosebumps to arise on her skin, and gave it a teasing nibble. He caught it between his teeth to tug gently, then moved back. He observed her expression now, which happened to be much more disheveled than just moments before. Her eyes were heavy, being half-lidded, and the lust in them was as obvious as their green color. A dark flush had spread to her cheeks, and her lips were parted to release inaudible, soft pants of air. He couldn't help but to smirk at this; he definitely enjoyed his ability to charm women when it came to his effect on her.

After many engagements with her, he could tell what this body language was saying: she wanted some. "Are you cold up here?" he asked, masking the painfully clear question that she wanted to hear. Sakura was used to his teasing by now though, and she simply sat up before chuckling with a weak smirk of her own. He sat back to allow her course of action to be easier.

"Yes. Let's head back." Sasuke rose to his feet first, then helped her up to join him. His good arm returned around her, though at her waist this time. The couple walked to the entrance of the roof, and Sasuke had to disconnect their half-embrace to pull the heavy metal door open. He briefly cursed himself for having left her for a moment to open the door on her own. This cursing was short-lived, however, when she pecked his cheek to show her grace. She stepped into the cold stairwell of the complex first, then waited for him to hold her again before she began her descent down.

Not only did she enjoy being close to her raven, but she also secretly feared the stairwell. It lacked any lights, and if it had camera systems set up in the ceiling, she doubted their functioning abilities. It was also really cold, which gave her shivers from being bare and afraid. Not to mention its density; every noise they made echoed throughout the whole set of flights. Though she should be thankful that it gave her a warning in beforehand, she was incredibly disturbed at having to be reminded of the mice's residency. The squeaking wasn't as bad as the scurrying to her. She could practically feel their little nails tickling her skin as they ran across her, in her imagination, upon hearing it against the floors or railings. She marvelled at how unbothered Sasuke seemed to be by it.

Sasuke knew of her phobia towards pests. The mice and roaches didn't move him simply because he had gotten used to them over the years. This was courtesy of Itachi, who had the decency of purchasing bug sprays and safe rat traps. He prevented any actual encounters as much as possible, which aided in his little brother's immunity.

Once they reached the end of the stairwell, he again let Sakura through the door of the top floor first before following behind her. They had to descend a bit further via the elevator since Sasuke and Itachi lived three floors down. Upon reaching their designated fifth floor, the two heard extreme ruckus. It was a non-rhythmic banging followed by some crashing. They both shared a look of concern, though they didn't let it bother them. That was, until the noises began to grow louder as they approached their door. A muffled, yet loud scream tore through the wood of their door after Sasuke reached it, and Sakura immediately recognized it.

" _Naruto_!" At her alarmed cry, Sasuke hurried in turning the knob and throwing the door open. The furniture of the tiny living room was thrown out of place in an obvious battle of struggle. The only source of light had been burned out, for the tall lamp was knocked over with the bulb smashed to pieces. Small flecks of blood were on both the walls and on the screen of the television, and one particularly large splatter of blood was located on the couch. The latter was turned over on its front, the cushions spread out in various parts of the room. Slash marks of an apparent weapon was also located all over the room. Naruto's screams could still be heard from down the hall.

Sakura was first to make her way down there, having pushed Sasuke out of the way. She ran into his bedroom while he ran into Itachi's. The weasel's room was untouched, though Itachi himself was nowhere to be found. Sasuke felt his heart start to accelerate in its beating, and his throat burned with the harshness of his breathing. He held a hand over his chest when the beating of his heart started to ache from pumping so roughly; such an ache didn't help with his current situation, and he didn't appreciate the sudden worry starting to increase much more than he would have liked. Just then, he heard a loud scream that pushed him over the edge.

Sakura.

" _Sakura_!" he screamed back as he nearly slid from how fast he turned for the door. He made he way to his own bedroom, cursing when he heard the loud shattering of glass, and practically threw himself into the room. He caught the sight of two intruders dressed in black with ski masks. One of a female physique had an unconscious Naruto in her arms, and she stood on the bed to hop out of broken window above. The second, of a male physique, had seemed to finish off Sakura. She quivered weakly, blood dribbling out of her nose and the corner of her mouth. He didn't understand how fast she was wounded until he noticed the man's quick fighting skills against Itachi. The female returned through the window, and was like a cat in the way she reached over and dragged Sakura out by her hair.

It was then that Sasuke felt himself being thrown forward by an unknown force. He raced towards the woman, reaching for Sakura. He was caught off guard, however, by a foot smashing into his face. He grunted loudly as he flew back farther than his previous spot. His nose was throbbing again, worse than earlier, yet he got back up on his feet and started up again. This time, it was for the masked intruder that had kicked him. Joining him was Itachi, and the two tagged team the intruder with swings of their own legs and arms. He recognized the Taekwondo fighting style, which he countered with his own level of skill. Sasuke was surprised once more by Itachi's strength, and obvious skill in the field of fighting. He momentarily paused in his thinking of trying to outsmart the intruder, for he wondered why Itachi had despised Sasuke's own street fighting. Why would he not appreciate it, if he were so good at it? If he wasn't ill, would he have tagged along? And most importantly, why did he lie when Sasuke asked if he could train him? Why would he leave Suigetsu to—

"Agh!" Sasuke was snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing Itachi's loud cry of pain. He didn't like the sound, and he gasped when he could barely follow the intruder's quick movements. He grabbed Itachi by the throat as if he were some sort of animal, then roughly dragged him up on the bed. Despite his quickness and agility, Sasuke was able to follow the intruder's intentions to drag Itachi out with wherever Sakura and Naruto were taken by his partner. The possibility of being left completely alone mortified Sasuke more than it angered him, although both emotions were enough to kick his feet into a run.

"Nii-san!" The intruder was out of the window by the time Sasuke had climbed on to the bed, and the raven followed suit. The moonlight illuminated the intruder's eyes through the peek-holes of the ski mask. They shone a dark purple, being a familiar shade to Sasuke. He also noticed the slight illumination of an evidently sturdy thread, which seemed to be holding the intruder up in midair. Itachi had wriggled free, and he was beginning to fall downward with Sasuke instead of outward from the building like his captor. The younger of the two's wonderment of them dying together had died immediately after it was born, for Itachi was caught by the ankle from the intruder.

For the shortest moment, perhaps a little over a millisecond, Sasuke and Itachi reached out to each other. Their arms stretched out, one down and the other up, for each other. One couldn't reach the other, but their fingertips brushed against each other. Their deep grey eyes were wide, Itachi's with fear for losing his little brother while Sasuke's with fear of what would happen to his big brother. Regardless of whether or not Sasuke was going to die, he didn't want to be useless against what could be a potential lifetime of torture for Itachi. Though Naruto could be a brat at times, he didn't wish that upon the little tike. And Sakura….

Oh, Sakura..

When their gazes were ripped apart by gravity, the last thing Sasuke saw was Sakura's smile. Not the one he received when she handed him a rather humiliating defeat. No, it was the sweet one that he was faced with in the morning after a passionate night of intimacy. The one that was accompanied by her soft touches, her spine-tingling kisses. The ones that made him feel good even in his worst moments, that walked him through the misery he once figured his life was to be made of. Such misery was dissipated of its existence when she walked further into his life. He actually began to like the apartment when her radiancy filled it. Her body against his perfectly made his nights better, less lonely. Every bit of her lifted him the way he thought he never could be, again.

And he loved her. By God, he loved her so much.

He began to fall harder in this realization, and his eyes blackened around the edges before swallowing his vision in whole.

 ** _X_**

 ** _I hoped you all enjoyed this after such a long wait. I'm kind of sad Naruto Shippuden is over, though I'm sure they could've executed the ending much better. However, I refuse to outwardly complain. I thank Kishimoto-sensei for everything his given me for the past 15 years, and I congratulate him for creating such a beautiful story to share with the world. *wipes tears* He owns all of the characters and potential themes. I only own the storyline. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, for I have a vague outline already planned out for it. Thank you for reading!_**


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